I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an accessory for an invalid's wheelchair, and more specifically to a bracket arrangement which may conveniently be used to suspend and hold a catheter bag on the rear of a wheelchair and below the seat thereof so that body fluids may be drained into it while the patient is occupying the wheelchair.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Various arrangements are known in the art for mounting fluid receptacles on a wheelchair such that body fluids may be collected in a sanitary and otherwise unobjectionable fashion. For example, reference is made to the Samuel et al U.S. Pat No. 3,896,809 in which an elongated rod of adjustable length has a clamp arrangement at one end for gripping the conventional flexible fabric back piece of a wheelchair and which includes a hook along its length from which may be supported a catheter bag. On the opposite end of the elongated adjustable strip from the upper back clamp is a plate having a plurality of routing hooks for supporting the catheter tube and routing it from the patient to the inlet of the catheter bag.
Another prior art approach is disclosed in the Miller U.S. Pat. No. 3,787,903. In this arrangement, the seat of the wheelchair is made from a water-proof upholstery material and located beneath the seat is a urine collection shield arranged such that when a patient urinates, the fluid will be collected within the shield and can later be drained therefrom.
Drawbacks inherent in the apparatus of the Miller patent are immediately apparent. Because the urine shield fits loosely about the seat, objectionable odors are not trapped which would naturally lead to embarrassment for the patient. While the device of the Samuel et al Patent allows a collection bag which is generally sealed to be utilized, the mounting arrangement permits the collection bag to swing back and forth beneath the chair as the patient puts the wheelchair in motion which is also a generally objectionable condition. Then too, the bracket of the Samuel et al patent is somewhat costly to manufacture and may not be universally applicable to a wide variety of wheelchair designs.